It was fall of 1995. I was riveted to the television, eagerly awaiting the verdict of the Trial of the Century, the murder trial of legendary football Hall of Famer OJ Simpson. Everything inside of me screamed, justice would be served, the evidence against him was overwhelming. And then the stunning results; OJ acquitted of […]
Dear Jew in the City, Why does Hashem need our prayers, especially when He already knows what we want and need? Why is prayer so important? Sincerely, Rachel Dear Rachel, Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, you’ve got things backwards. God is complete and perfect; we’ve got nothing to offer Him that He “needs.” Sure, […]
I often walked my dog at unconventional times my senior year of high school. Sometimes after a long night of school work, I would only get out at around 1:30 AM. Somehow, without fail, my Hispanic neighbor from up the block would walk her dog Rosalina on a similar schedule. Despite the late hour, the […]
This is not the first time Israel has been drawn into a conflict that resulted in tragic deaths of civilians on the other side, nor is it the first time those tragic deaths have sparked heated battles not just in Gaza but on the web and in the streets. It’s not the first time we […]
It’s a dark heavy time… our hostages are still not home, war rages on. And it’s Adar, the Jewish month which when our joy should increase. Is this feasible? Are we really supposed to be happy when Israel is at war? And how are we supposed to increase our joy just because the Hebrew calendar […]
“We refute our Jewishness,” said Jonathan Glazer in the beginning of his controversial Oscar award winning speech. But does he, or for that matter, we, even really know what “our Jewishness” is about? Jewish customs seem like they can range from being deep and meaningful like reading the hagadah to startlingly unintelligible like getting drunk […]
